Acquisition 2.6
Hisana's mind raced. There was no viable, purely defensive move to take here. There was no wall to back up against, no ground to surrender. She simply had to survive thirty seconds more, and then someone else would arrive. Someone else could protect the people she'd endangered through her complacency.
As the enemy ninja emerged from the smoke, Hisana's hands became a blur of motion; and fire welled up within her. Her mouth opened, and she roared fire like the fiercest of dragons. Men screamed as the world slowed down; and when wind followed it appeared as if Hisana had sundered the very earth itself. Wind chakra met Fire; and each fed the other. A dozen men died in those flames, still to disoriented from the summoning to dodge. A pink haired figure darted in and out the smoke, her hand drenched in the rose glow of an incomplete chakra scalpel. It did not have the elegance or precision required for surgical work; nor was it suitable for any other peaceful purpose. It was a merely a weapon.
A hundred orange clad blondes screamed as Mizuki charged, and at his words. Orange chakra burst from them, and Hisana felt like she was going to die. There was a physical weight bearing down upon her; and it seemed for the moment as if the battle had simply stopped. Hisana managed to drag her head around to look at what had caused it, and saw the Tailed Beast's chakra swirl around each and every clone. She saw nine wisps of it solid enough to be visible to the naked eye.
She couldn't breathe. People were moving past her, ragged shapes screaming in fear. She struggled to stand, barely managing to support herself on her sword. Each breath came easier than the last, and she could hold her sword out in front of her. Her body moved where her mind could not, standing ready to fight. The sounds of battle raged, and out the smoke and dust came a man with a spear and only half a face. He charged forward slowly, and her body did likewise. She felt like she was walking through honey.
Her sword still found it's mark, cutting the man cleanly in two. She was too slow, she needed to be stronger, she needed to throw this lethargy off. Mustering what seemed like all her remaining strength, she sent a pulse of chakra towards the seal on her forehead. The world suddenly felt right again, as red markings descended down her face. Men, wearing a similar uniform to the one she'd killed, streamed out of the smoke. The first, she killed with another Iaido strike. There was a sound like the crack of whip from the sheer speed of her blow.
Her sword burning red, she flung herself into the fray. The first blade caught her on the left, merely a nick, before she could slay it's owner. Blades of wind followed her swings, cutting another man down. A kick landed in her chest, cracking ribs and sending her flying backwards. A kunai she only barely dodged; a few wisps of black hair following it. She was overwhelmed, and she knew it. Against any one of these men, she could have easily emerged victorious.
Against all of them, she was going to die. She could see the blow the would kill her coming. She was already moving to block another; and she was unable to dodge. The point of the spear grew ever close, until a kunai took it's owner in the chest. Sasuke, his eyes glowing red, landed a two footed kick on one of the mystery ninja as, to use a colloquial term from home, the cavalry arrived. ANBU leapt from the treetops, as many of the chuunin teachers and gate guards charged from the ground.
With a tremendous noise, the smoke obscuring the battlefield was blown away. The most powerful of the mysterious ninjas was mid swing at Naruto when it happened, and when she saw the God of Shinobi arrive before she heard him. The mysterious ninja's sword shattered upon Enma, and Hisana saw Hiruzen Sarutobi truly angry for what she hoped was the first and last time. After that, the battle ended in surrender or death for the mysterious ninja. Hisana let her seal recede along with her eyes, and would have fallen over if she hadn't been caught by her brother. She heard shouting, and saw Sakura rush over.
She awoke in her own bed hours later, a concerned Sasuke waiting for her. She felt bandages along her chest - but her ribs seemed healed. Yet her chakra stores would indicate it had been nowhere near long enough for that.
"You were out for only a few hours, and cleared of any further complication at the site of the... of the battle."Sasuke said, quietly.
"Are they all okay? Naruto, Sakura, the other student?" Hisana asked, worry gripping her. Sasuke nodded in reply. She had been too weak, too arrogant. She had thought she was the only one - yet there was nothing special about how she died, nothing special about Mary before she died. She did not have nearly the information advantage she thought she had; and even all of her training had proved its limits.
So she needed to be stronger - her sword flashed out, cutting the man across his chest - she couldn't let her weakness let anyone down again. She was the older one, the one with the knowledge and the skill to protect the others. She was the one right in the middle of it all, and if whoever those assholes were took issue in that; they could take it up with her sword.
"Will you be strong enough to attend the team announcements?" Sasuke asked.
"I'll be fine. Really." Hisana said, as she tried futilely to banish the memories her sharingan had recorded. It seemed, however, that they would be with her forever.
Choose one project from below to work on between now and Team Announcements in a week.
[x] - Fuinjutsu:
[x] - Reverse-engineering the controllable, detonable shuriken.
[x] - Try to improve your basic chakra storage seal.
[x] - Ninjutsu
[x] - Learn more Fire Release Techniques
[x] - Learn more Wind Release Techniques
[x] - Genjutsu
[x] - Learn more wide area Genjutsu
[x] - Kenjutsu
[x] - Work on your Iaido some more, and perfect your integration of it and your chakra flow.
[x] - Iryojutsu
[x] - Attempt to learn the Chakra Scalpel
[x] - Attempt to improve your Mystical Palm jutsu.